First openly gay cadets graduate from Air Force Academy

At the first US Air Force graduation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, post the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, four openly gay cadets celebrated their achievements and their freedom. ABC News has released this video of interviews with cadets who talk about the tolerance and respect they’ve been taught by the Air Force and the changes, or lack thereof, that the appeal has brought to the military.

Trish Heller, who is head of “Blue Alliance,” the name for the LGBT Air Force Academy Alumni, said, “The whole thing is we don’t want to be identified as anything different. We want to serve, to be professional and to be symbols of what it means to be Air Force Academy graduates."